Mastodon Breathes A Lot More Than Steam.

Mastodon's "Steambreather", to these ears sounds like what the best sex must feel like. It grinds. It pulsates. It's super aggressive and is that way for a wonderful purpose...making the music business snarl a bit more. On the basis of the title alone I had to give this one a test run. Boy am I glad I did. My teeth are chattering in a good way. Chills down the spine, people. That's what top notch rock has the ability to do to you. Not one note lacks the bite of a starving tiger. That guitar weaves up and down hellaciously. Thanks Brent Hinds. You just made my month. Average music weekend warriors can't comprehend what kind of aural connection this is. Thanks to the video director for keeping the mood light. Oh...and another thing...Brann Dailor's drumming is nothing short of epic. The man goes from delicate to brutal in a single bound. When a artist goes freestyle like that the results depart the physical plane and head straight to otherworldly. This Atlanta band should know how to rip off the volume knob by now. It's been around since 2000. These children have learned well. Brann's vocals are equally impressive. With a surgeon's precision he roars through the material, daring any of us to stop his reign of terror. Turning to the lyrics I'll BFF any of you who can tell me what Nazca lines are. Is this a thing now or what? Brann has personality issues from the looks of things. Stanza three essentially tells the story. "I wonder who I am. Reflections offer nothing, I wonder where I stand. I'm afraid of myself." I feel your pain man. I wonder what benign deity would've created an enigma like me. He hates watching her crumble to the ground. It was easier to stay after helping her find the golden crown. Even his issues have issues. Poor guy could use flowers. "Steambreathers" is one of those songs where the lyrics become an afterthought because the instrument playing exceeds any and all expectations. Turn this up to eleven. You'll thank me later. Each band member gets to show off his talents to phenomenal effect. The actors and actresses in the video camp it up brilliantly. Watching items get sucked up someone's nose surely counts as an added bonus. And you claim you've heard or seen everything. Any blah Monday would benefit from octane this supercharged. "Steambreather" isn't totally accurate. Fire is the prevailing element here. However you describe it, "Steambreather" defines awesome.